


No Regrets

by BeautifulSolo



Category: NU'EST, Produce 101 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, BaekMin, First Time, Friends to Lovers, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-01
Updated: 2018-12-01
Packaged: 2019-09-05 03:06:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16802398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeautifulSolo/pseuds/BeautifulSolo
Summary: Minhyun has a list of everything he wants to do before college is over. Graduation is just around the corner now, and there’s just one thing he still needs to get around to.With Dongho thinking the same thing, maybe they can help each other out.





	No Regrets

“Do you have anything you want to do before college is over?”

Minhyun pursed his lips to hide a smile as Dongho rested his head on his shoulder, the two of them quietly watching a group of moths fluttering around a nearby lamp. It was peaceful where they were - in the backyard at a senior party that they definitely wouldn’t have been able to get into without Aron’s help - and the obnoxious _wubwub_ music blasting in the house was much more bearable from outside.

Before college was over...that was quite a few years away. Minhyun hummed thoughtfully.

“Yeah, I guess I do. Like, I wanna try taking a totally random, unrelated class at some point - something like photography or pre-history or something else that has nothing to do with my major.” Once he got started, it was actually pretty easy to keep going. “Oh, and join some kind of club or group. Because I was that loser who did nothing but student council all the way through high school, as you well know.”

“That I do.” Dongho was smiling, Minhyun could feel it. “Despite my best efforts to get you to do something other than slavishly follow the student council president around.”

“Hey! I _did_ do something else!”

“Well, yeah. You _became_ student council president eventually.”

“Exactly!”

“Those are some pretty solid goals, though.” Two of the moths collided inelegantly in midair, and the way Dongho snorted at the insects as they fell had Minhyun’s heart fluttering just a bit. “I was just gonna say I wanted to figure out what to do with my hair.”

_Cute_. Dongho’s hair had been through some pretty...questionable phases, and while it looked pretty good now, it definitely wouldn’t hurt for Dongho to figure out a style that actually, consistently worked - especially with his good looks. Minhyun told Dongho this, including (especially) the last part, and while he got a punch to the arm for his troubles he did at least manage to make Dongho laugh. They went on.

“I wanna get piercings.”

“I want to write a song. A whole one.”

“I want to get some kind of summer job or internship, at least once.” Minhyun’s suggestion was met with a little _oh that’s a good one I should do that_ from Dongho.

Their list trailed off, and the pair fell into a comfortable silence. They kept watching the moths, Dongho scratching little lines into the mud with a stick he’d picked up nearby, all to the beat of the shitty Frat Boy 101 playlist still blaring out through the windows.

Minhyun appreciated the music, though - it kept his imagination from running away with him, and getting too lost in an otherwise kind of...intimate atmosphere. They weren’t even _alone_. Though it seemed like they would be soon, as boys and girls in all combinations paired off, arms around each other and knowing expressions on their faces, disappearing into either the house behind them or the darkness further out.

Minhyun wasn’t a child. He knew _exactly_ what was going on, and it really...got him thinking. Perhaps Dongho noticed it, as after a while Minhyun felt the little stick prodding into his ankle.

“You okay?” It was when Minhyun opened his mouth to reply that he realised he’d been pouting. Oh. No wonder Dongho asked. He just nodded instead. “We should write this down, you know. All our plans and stuff. Got any others?”

Another pause, a little heavier this time as Minhyun watched another couple, hand in hand, whisper to each other before climbing over the fence and vanishing from sight. As their muffled giggles faded away, Minhyun and Dongho were left completely alone.

He hummed thoughtfully. “Well, I might have one more.”

“Yeah?”

“I think I wanna lose my virginity before college ends.”

He could almost hear the beats of the moths’ wings, their little _swoop_ s up and down practically slicing through the silence, beating down on Minhyun’s shoulders. Dongho didn’t move away, but he did tense, dropping the stick he’d been holding.

“Minhyun…” He sucked in a breath, before swallowing hard. “Has anyone....did someone say…?”

“What? Oh, no! No.” Warmth bloomed in Minhyun’s chest when he realised what Dongho was getting at. Oh...he was so cute. And concerned. Minhyun probably liked it a little too much when Dongho was worried about him. “I was just thinking, well, college is a good time to do a whole bunch of stuff you’ve never done. Stuff you’d like to have experienced before you enter the real world, you know? And I guess I just...want to have tried it by then.”  
  
“...huh. I guess if you put it that way, maybe I need to put that one down too.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

A silly little smile spread across Minhyun’s face. “Cool, cool. I guess if we haven’t had any luck by graduation, we can always help each other out.”

_That_ time, Dongho moved away. Well, more like he began to cough violently, pushing away from Minhyun a little in the process. Minhyun wasn’t sure if he was freaked out or just conscious that Minhyun wouldn’t want to be coughed on, and kinda hoped it was the latter. Smile a little more wary, he thumped Dongho on the back a few times. _Parties, huh?_ He laughed, despite having not touched a drop of alcohol all night and both of them being fully aware of that fact.

Dongho would probably forget about it anyway. If not by morning, they both had a big test to study for in a few days. Minhyun would likely forget, too.

At least for now, once the coughing stopped, Dongho was happy enough to rest his head on Minhyun’s shoulder again, and talk about something else as the moths continued to fly.

  
  


**~*~**

  
  


Somehow, after all those presentations and portfolios and essays and mini breakdowns in the library, the only college commitments Minhyun had hanging over him were his final exams and a couple of library books that needed returning.

It had been a long few years, but fun. From the gleaming silver earrings he’d bought himself as a reward for passing his first year, to the gruelling summer internships he’d suffered through for the sake of his resume (and some surprisingly good contacts, since Minhyun was pretty good at pretending not to hate his job and higher-ups tended to like that) to the late nights and sore throats he got from rehearsals and performances with the acapella club. He couldn’t really regret a thing.

Especially as he’d had his best friend by his side the whole time. Even in the acapella club, which had been nice.

“Hey,” Dongho did a little half jog over to Minhyun’s side when their eyes met outside the library. “You got that essay handed in?”

“Ugh, finally. How was your presentation this morning?”

Dongho grimaced. “Eh, I reckon I passed. That’s all I’m saying on it. Now the books are out of sight, the notes are in the trash, and I can pretend it didn’t happen until I get the grade back.”

Too lazy to take their hands out of their pockets for a high-five, they just bumped elbows instead with a shared grin before making their way away from campus. It was nice, Minhyun thought, walking with Dongho like this. They tended to wander here and there, talking about nothing of any importance and finding their own little hideaways where nobody else ever seemed to go. Clusters of trees housing squirrels that Dongho would excitedly watch until the pair of them were late for class, or patches of flowers, or just that one fountain that had been installed for seemingly no reason because nobody ever came to look at it and it was kind of rusty and gross looking, but tranquil in its own way.

Their feet seemed to be taking them towards the fountain today, and Minhyun hoped he could somehow keep doing this with Dongho forever, even after they graduated.

“Exams soon, huh?” Minhyun led the topic away from _best and worst classes of our degrees_ and _professors who really should have been fired by now_ as they approached the fountain. “And then it’s all over. It’s been pretty good.”

“Yeah?” Dongho wasn’t looking at Minhyun, instead focusing on the fountain. Minhyun squinted, but didn’t see any cute animals or anything on it. Hm.

“Yeah. We’ve had some good times. Some bad times, but like, they were for the greater good, you know?” Seemed that Dongho did know, as the other boy just nodded. “I feel like I can graduate without any regrets. What about you?”

He seemed to be spacing out a little bit, staring at the fountain again. He only responded when Minhyun gave him a little kick to the side of the foot. “What? Oh. Uh, what about me?”

“Did you achieve everything you wanted to in college?”  
  
“I…” Dongho quietened, then.

It was chilly out, but in that moment it was like the air solidified entirely, weighing them down. Was it something he said? Had Dongho been keeping something from him after all?

“...not quite everything.” He turned away when Minhyun raised his eyebrows in curiosity. “I. I don’t know.”

“Hey...we don’t keep secrets from each other, do we?” Minhyun reached out to take Dongho’s hand and squeeze it gently, trying to ignore the little lump in his throat. “Dongho?”

  


A strange expression on his face, Dongho pulled his hand away - gently, always gently - and sat down heavily on a nearby bench. The rusted bolts made it rattle a little as he sat down, sending similar shakes up Minhyun’s spine. Gingerly, he took a seat beside Dongho, shuffling close enough that their thighs pressed together.

“Minhyun…” Dongho sighed, pulling his scarf up over his lower face. “We went to a party in first year, didn’t we? Aron got us in. The music was shitty, the people were annoying, and we spent the whole time in the backyard watching bugs. Remember that?”  
  
“Yeah,” Minhyun spoke before he could think, tension creeping into his shoulders as he realised he probably should have said no.

“Well. There’s one thing.”

Minhyun knew immediately what he meant.

They weren’t unpopular by any means - both of them had fairly large, varied circles of friends. They went to parties, joined in with all the social obligations of the acapella club even if they only really wanted to sing, and were more than chatty enough with their classmates. They were good looking, too. Minhyun knew that much about himself, and Dongho was _obviously_ gorgeous.

And yet...neither of them had ever really bothered to date. Let alone anything beyond that. Minhyun had been hit on a few times by guys and girls he wasn’t really interested in, and he assumed Dongho - looking like he did and being the guy he was - had been, too. But he never cared to escalate things with anybody.

College was almost over.

It didn’t _bother_ him, exactly - it had just been something else he would have liked to experience over the college years, not a dealbreaker. But…

“I’m still...yeah. I haven’t. I guess you haven’t either?” Minhyun’s smile was shaky, while Dongho just stared at the floor. It was weird, seeing him so subdued.

And so _quiet_. Minhyun could barely hear him. “I’ve been thinking about what you said.”

  
  


Oh.

  
  


_Oh._

  
  


Dongho hadn’t forgotten. Neither had Minhyun. He’d entertained the thought sometimes when he was alone, and it may have _possibly_ played a _tiny_ role in his not bothering to mess around with any of the many, many willing people he had met, even a little.

He’d never even imagined that Dongho had been thinking about it too.

About...that.

Minhyun’s head spun - did Dongho...want to do that? With him? Did he feel obligated, or was it something he really wanted? Something he could trust Minhyun with? What did _Minhyun_ even want?

It was in that moment he realised that yeah, he wanted to do that with Dongho. He could trust him. They were closer than anyone else - there was nobody Minhyun would rather share something like this with than him.

He’d been too quiet for too long, but didn’t quite have the words for what he wanted to say. Instead, he placed a shaky hand on Dongho’s knee in what he hoped was a comforting gesture. “Well,” it came out as more of a stammer, not as confident as he would have liked, “I’m still down.”

Minhyun’s face felt like it was on fire, and Dongho’s looked like it, too, the pair of them sharing a strange, comfortably-uncomfortable look. Nobody spoke for a while, but Dongho did rest his hand lightly on top of Minhyun’s - perhaps in lieu of an answer.

Vague euphemisms and silent gestures were a whole lot easier than telling your best friend _yeah, I’d sleep with you_.

The fountain trickled quietly.

“You sure?” Dongho pulled his scarf down a little, watching Minhyun closely. Minhyun nodded. “Aha...I mean, you know. The alternative would be to just go out somewhere and hook up with some random people, but…” Glancing around, he hushed his voice just a little. They were alone, but imagine if they _weren’t_. “I’m not really feeling it. With a stranger.”

“Me neither.” They both laughed nervously. Were they...really doing this? “We don’t have to like, schedule it or anything...just uh, do our research, figure it out, let it happen when the time comes? Though...if it doesn’t pop up within the next few weeks, we should probably put it off until after finals.”

“Yeah...might make it hard to study. Having that, uh, on your mind.”

“Yeah.” Honestly, Minhyun wouldn’t be surprised if their cheeks started steaming against the chill in the air. Glancing down at their hands, still lightly touching, he was relieved to see at least _some_ part of him wasn’t bright red. His cheeks were burning. His ears were burning. Everything was just burning and his heart was _bursting_ . He was the exact opposite of chill, but did his best to pretend, anyway. “We don’t need to overthink it.” _They would definitely overthink it Minhyun was already overthinking it._ “Ah...I was gonna help Jonghyun practice for his presentation. Is it okay if I…?”

“-wait.” Dongho took Minhyun’s hand tightly, then, and their eyes met properly. Biting his bottom lip, he loosened his hold. “Can I...can I kiss you?”

What? “You mean when we…?” _Do it_ was on the tip of Minhyun’s tongue, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it. The other boy shook his head.

“No, I mean right now. If we’re gonna do this, I don’t really want the first time we kiss to be the same day as the first time we do…”

“...everything else. Gotcha.” Dongho was so hesitant, stumbling over the word _kiss_ and Minhyun had never in his life seen him so shy. It was actually adorable, and if his head hadn’t been swimming as much as it was Minhyun would have definitely taken more time to appreciate Dongho’s flustered, preciously earnest expression. After another quick survey of their surroundings to make sure they were _absolutely alone_ , the pair leaned in, just a bit. “Okay, uh...okay…”

Kissing wasn’t new to Minhyun. Something he hadn’t really bothered with since that one boyfriend he had in middle school, but not new, and he knew it wasn’t alien to Dongho, either. That said...he didn’t remember it being quite so nice. Just an innocent touch of lips, right there on that bench, but the feeling of heat radiating from their cheeks and the shakes in their fingertips held promise of what was to come, and that had Minhyun’s heartbeat pounding in his ears.

In a bold move, Dongho tipped his head just a little to press their lips together more confidently, lacing their fingers together properly, and Minhyun couldn’t help the tiny hum of satisfaction it pulled from him. Kissing someone for the first time wasn’t meant to be so _easy_ , but Dongho made it seem that way, anyway.

A cool breeze blew over them, but Minhyun couldn’t feel it.

Oh, how Minhyun wanted to wrap his arms around Dongho and kiss him senseless. But he couldn’t, not here. For now, he allowed himself just one indulgence - gently resting his hand on Dongho’s cheek, he teasingly swiped his tongue across Dongho’s bottom lip. So light and so quick, it was like he’d barely done a thing.

_“Hah..”_ Dongho’s breath hitched and Minhyun was absolutely living, a little shudder coursing through him. They parted, then, unable to tear their gazes away from each other’s flushed faces as their chests rose and fell heavily.

If just kissing Dongho could feel so good...Minhyun swallowed hard, wondering if he really was ready for what he’d gotten himself into.

Their goodbyes were hushed, whispers almost lost to the breeze. _Hopefully Jonghyun’s presentation doesn’t suck too hard_ and _I need to help Minki clean his dorm room anyway_ and _are we still on for coffee this weekend?_

Minhyun just prayed, internally, that things between them weren’t going to get weird.

  
  


**~*~**

  
  


Surprisingly, things really didn’t get all that weird, at least when they were together.

Coffee dates, hanging out with friends, even the goodbye party for the acapella club’s senior members all went by without a hitch. There would be a little tension, now and then, when their eyes would meet. Perhaps Minhyun’s gaze would drop to Dongho’s mouth a little too often, and their casual, friendly contact sent tiny sparks through Minhyun’s skin, but they could still talk and laugh and hang out like they always would.

When Minhyun was alone, though? Oh, _that_ was weird. He picked up some...important supplies fairly soon after he and Dongho had their little chat, and when taking breaks from studying for finals he found himself doing quite a different kind of studying.

He’d always had the basics down, and could probably have figured a lot of it out on his own, but knowing how embarrassed he would probably be when the day came, Minhyun was extremely thankful for the web articles that spelled out quite plainly for him what he would need to do. And what he would very definitely need to _not_ do.

Was he nervous? Absolutely. But also as prepared as he would ever be.

An unexpected knock at his bedroom door one Friday night had him hurriedly closing a particularly educational article he’d reread four or five times by now, and fanning his face in the hopes he wasn’t too flushed, he opened it.

“Oh, hey Seongwoo. Going somewhere?”

“Home for the weekend~” Seongwoo, Minhyun’s neighbour, held up a little duffel bag with a smile. “There’s a big event going on at my parents’ church and they want me to help out. I’ll be back on Monday, though. Just thought you should know.”

“Ah, okay. Got it.”

“Don’t miss me too much while I’m gone~” He gave Minhyun a sort of half bro-hug before pulling his phone out of his pocket. “Ah, taxi’s outside. Gotta go!”

And off he went. Minhyun rather liked Seongwoo - he was funny, they got along well and the two of them would sometimes spend the night chatting through their incredibly thin shared wall.

The shared wall…

Minhyun paused. His bedroom was on the very top floor of the dorm building, against an external wall. The freshman in the room below his dropped out a couple of months back. Seongwoo was his _only_ immediate neighbour. And he was gone. All weekend.

He scrambled for his phone.

  


> _hey_

 _ >seongwoo’s away for the weekend _ _  
_ _ >just left _

_ >oh cool _

_ >do you want to _

_ >come over?? _

_ >yeah sure _

_ >wait _

_ >do you mean come over or like _

_ >Come Over come over _

_ >uhhhh the second one _

_ >maybe _

_ >we don’t have to!!! _

_ >i just thought _

_ >since I don’t have any neighbours right now _

_ >this is really awkward omg sorry _

_ >no it’s good _

_ >should I bring stuff _

_ >i have stuff _

_ >i’ll bring mine anyway _

_ >ok _

_ >i know the code for your building I’ll just let myself up _

_ >ok _

_ >ok _

  


Oh god.

Minhyun’s hands were shaking the entire time, and the relatively short messages took twice as long to send as usual because of all the typos he was making. There was _no_ casual way to invite Dongho over in a situation like this.

He tidied his room. He tidied it again. He made sure there were no questionable windows open on his laptop. He brushed his teeth. Washed his hands. Put out a new box of tissues. Made sure his...supplies were within easy reach in the bedside drawer. Tidied the room again.

Normally when Dongho dropped by, he’d just walk right in and flop on Minhyun’s bed. It probably wouldn’t go like that this time. And sure enough, just as Minhyun felt ready to explode with anxiety, there was a short, firm knock at the door.

Dongho never knocked.

There was a first time for everything.

“Hey.” Dongho’s voice was low when Minhyun opened the door, a shaky grin on his face and little bag slung over his shoulder. Whatever intelligent words Minhyun had to greet him with got stuck in his throat, and all he could do was swallow them down and let Dongho into the room.

They both glanced wordlessly over to the bed, then back at each other. It was already rather warm.

“Hey.” Minhyun finally managed to….well, _say_ was a bit of a stretch. More like _choke_.

“I uh, brought some DVDs,” Dongho held up the bag, much to Minhyun’s confusion, “you know. To ease the tension a little.” Ah. That made sense. Making himself as comfortable as possible in the circumstances, Dongho set about fiddling with Minhyun’s laptop to put one of the DVDs on, while Minhyun locked the door with shaking hands.

Dongho hadn’t just come to his room to hang out like normal. Dongho had come to his room _to have sex_ and oh god Minhyun had never really thought about it in such blunt terms before. Holy shit.

Heart almost in his throat, Minhyun settled down on the bed beside Dongho to watch whatever movie or show it was that he’d brought over. The atmosphere was pretty nice, if a little heavy - curtains drawn and the only light coming from the laptop screen and the bedside lamp. Dongho slipped an arm around Minhyun’s waist, eyes on the screen, and Minhyun rested against him, tense yet comforted by the fact Dongho’s pulse raced just as much as his own did.

As it turned out, Dongho had brought over a box set of this one crappy space drama they’d watched together once or twice. Something to get comfortable to, but nothing to really hold their attention since they’d seen it all before. Still, they spent the first episode or so whispering silly comments to each other and sharing the bottle of soda that Dongho had also, very thoughtfully, brought with him, before Dongho’s fingertips began slowly tracing little circles on Minhyun’s hipbone during the end credits of the second episode.

Minhyun’s breath hitched, and he leaned in a little closer.

By the midpoint of episode three, Dongho pressed his lips to the side of Minhyun’s neck. All at once, the tension building up in Minhyun’s muscles melted away, and with a little sigh he tilted his head a little to give Dongho better access. Dongho’s fingertips dipped ever so slightly past the waistband of Minhyun’s sweatpants, and he suddenly realised he had no idea what to do with his own hands. He eventually settled on resting one hand on Dongho’s thigh, the other on the mattress behind him, closing his eyes. He could...really get used to this.

Dongho trailed kisses from the crook of Minhyun’s neck up to his ear, and after a tiny peck, he whispered “everything okay?”

Minhyun could only hum in response.

“We don’t have to do this,” Dongho continued, taking Minhyun’s hand. “We don’t have to do anything. Not if we don’t want to.”

“I want to.” Minhyun didn’t even give himself time to think. He almost cringed at just how...genuine his own voice sounded, but if it bothered Dongho at all he didn’t let it show.

The warmth in Dongho’s eyes then, in the low light of Minhyun’s room, had him turning to mush inside. “Me too.”

With that, he pulled Minhyun into his lap, just barely giving him time to close the lid of the laptop before bringing him into a proper kiss. Oh, how glad Minhyun was that this wasn’t their first kiss - instead it felt more like familiar territory, a way to get settled but also get so much closer. Facing Dongho properly like this, it was much easier for Minhyun to do something with his hands, and he cupped Dongho’s face to kiss him deeply. _One step at a time_ , he told himself firmly, while he definitely still had coherent thoughts, _focus on the now_.

The movies weren’t exactly like the real thing. After all, the movies tended to have more room to work with than Minhyun’s single-occupancy dorm room bed, and they generally skipped over the little moments, like Dongho failing to suppress giggles as Minhyun’s attempt to subtly communicate _shirt off_ ended up tickling his sides instead, or the mumbled curses and _I’m so sorry I didn’t think this through_ while Dongho fiddled with the buttons to remove Minhyun’s shirt shortly afterwards.

Then again, no movie or blog or article could have ever prepared Minhyun for the feeling of Dongho mapping out Minhyun’s mouth with his tongue, of their bare chests pressed together, of Dongho’s hands slipping into his hair and holding him steady, to kiss him over and over and over.

The real thing was _definitely_ better.

Pressing open-mouthed kisses to Dongho’s throat, Minhyun ran his hands over Dongho’s torso, over his arms, over everywhere he could reach. He’d always known the other boy was strong, and would often steal a glance when he had the opportunity, but it was only under his touch like this that Minhyun _really_ found himself appreciating that fact. Oh, he appreciated it an awful lot.

He slipped his hands between them, then, over Dongho’s chest and further downwards, only allowing himself a moment to enjoy the tiny gasp earned from brushing over Dongho’s nipples before settling at the front of the other boy’s jeans. Minhyun’s hands were clumsy, struggling with the button and zipper but unsure if this was a bad or good thing considering the low mutters of _oh shit_ that bypassed Minhyun’s ears entirely and went directly south instead.

Sitting in Dongho’s lap like this, Minhyun found himself suddenly lost as to how to progress. He didn’t want to _move_ , but he was also very much _in the way_. Keeping his hands where they were, teasing a little bit at the top of Dongho’s boxers, Minhyun leaned forward to kiss along Dongho’s jawline. He was overthinking again, but unlike Minhyun, Dongho was more of the ‘doing’ type. He’d figure it out.

“Hold on a sec,” Dongho murmured, apparently figuring it out even faster than Minhyun thought he would. He took hold of Minhyun’s waist and-

Oh. Minhyun was suddenly on his back, against the pillows, and he wondered if Dongho would be open to any feedback before it was all over because Minhyun’s entire stream of consciousness was scrambled with _10/10 extremely sexy you should definitely do that all the time_ and he really felt like Dongho needed to know that.

Of course, if Minhyun opened his mouth anything he wanted to say would probably die in his throat as Dongho, with a sheepish grin that Minhyun wanted to kiss right off his face, straddled his hips. “Sorry,” he traced little patterns over Minhyun’s chest with his fingertips while Minhyun wondered what, exactly, he had to be sorry about. “You okay?”

“Honestly, this is a huge turn-on.” Apparently Minhyun’s brain-to-mouth filter had frazzled itself alongside everything else, and after a beat of pause, all he could really do was laugh. “Fuck.”

The upside of throwing the last of his dignity out of the window was that it made Dongho laugh along with him. His dumb, gorgeous laugh that made Minhyun positively melt, only to be put back together again as Dongho leaned down to kiss him. Minhyun decided he really, really liked kissing. He liked kissing _Dongho_. He liked how Dongho kissed - firmly, but with a hint of hesitation, questioning. He liked how Dongho preferred to be led, and how he followed with enthusiasm that Minhyun couldn’t get enough of.

If they didn’t have things to do tonight, Minhyun would have been perfectly happy to kiss Dongho until the sun came up, until they were reduced to breathless messes, red-lipped and panting. But their hips pressed together served as an ever-present reminder of a more...pressing issue, the two occasionally breaking their kiss with a sharp _ah_ whenever one of them shifted.

“Minhyun,” Dongho kept his voice low, and Minhyun couldn’t stop a shiver running through him at the sound of his own name said like that. He _knew_ Dongho felt it, but Dongho, being way too nice and way too awkward to point it out, just kept talking with a little smile against Minhyun’s lips. “Minhyun, hey. Before we uh, do anything else. I gotta know something.”

“Hm?”

“How, uh,” he bit his lip, “how are we doing this exactly? You know, like, _how_ , how. Like uh.” And Minhyun knew immediately what he meant because apparently they were both, conveniently, the same brand of awkward.

It would probably be for the best to figure it out early, huh?

“Well,” the filter was gone, and Minhyun didn’t care to try and get it back. No room for shame - they were pressed for room as it was on Minhyun’s one-person bed. “I’d generally imagined it like this. You know.” He made a vague gesture at their current position and hoped it was enough.

Dongho’s mouth hung open just a little, cheeks flushing. “Holy fuck,” he breathed, and apparently it was enough. “And uh, me too.”

Minhyun felt like his whole skin was on fire, but also like Dongho was too, and the entire room around them, and maybe that was okay.

Dongho moved, then - off Minhyun and off the bed entirely. Minhyun had so many questions, but they all came out as a confused sort of whining noise that he really wasn’t proud of.

“Getting the stuff.” Dongho was still smiling, clearly embarrassed as he fumbled through his bag. “So we don’t have any more interruptions later. You said you had some too, right?”

“Bedside drawer,” was Minhyun’s short reply, sticking out his tongue at Dongho before he could say what he was _obviously_ thinking. Cliche? Perhaps. But it meant Minhyun knew where it was.

When Dongho returned to the bed, he dropped everything - two small bottles, two boxes - beside Minhyun, and with a quick wink that he seemed to immediately regret, he took off his jeans, tossing them to the floor next to the bed.

Minhyun’s brain started doing that _he’s so hot what the fuck_ scrambly thing again. “Don’t forget me.” He blurted, and Dongho was more than happy to comply, pulling off Minhyun’s sweatpants in one quick motion and throwing them aside too.

Dongho settled himself above Minhyun again, trailing kisses up Minhyun’s neck and pausing to pay a little extra attention to a patch just by his ear. Minhyun couldn’t suppress another little whining noise, but Dongho seemed to like it well enough, and as Minhyun tipped his head to one side to give Dongho more space to work with, he contemplated the little pile of supplies now sitting innocently beside him on the mattress.

There was no mixing them up - Minhyun had grabbed whatever, in a fit of total embarrassment before anybody saw or recognised him in a convenience store on the opposite side of town. Reasonable, perfectly serviceable stuff, really. But from the labels, Minhyun could tell that Dongho’s purchases were nicer, like he’d thought about them. They’d probably be nicer - _feel_ nicer - to use, and while his mind was mostly clouded over at this point Minhyun couldn’t help but think back to Dongho admitting that he’d imagined their encounter (the fact he’d imagined it at all had Minhyun’s pulse racing) the same way Minhyun did.

Dongho had bought things that would make it better, how he imagined, _for_ _Minhyun_. Minhyun suddenly felt like melting again. Or cuddling. Or both - melting into Dongho’s arms as the other boy held him together.

“You’re adorable,” he sighed, barely audible, wrapping his arms around Dongho as the other boy pressed his lips to Minhyun’s pulse.

Dongho turned his own attention to their supplies a moment later, stroking Minhyun’s cheek with the back of his hand before reaching over to check what they had. Before Minhyun could say anything along the lines of _let’s use yours_ , Dongho had gotten distracted.

“Minhyun,” it was higher this time, questioning, a little tense. Minhyun glanced over at the bottle in Dongho’s hand - it was Minhyun’s. It had been opened before. “Have you…?”

He grinned at Dongho lazily, watching the realisation spread across Dongho’s expression before he swallowed hard. “Might have.”

“Oh my God.”

Dongho was imagining it - Minhyun could tell, and kind of loved it. Admittedly, it had been kind of awkward trying it for himself, but he figured it was best to be prepared, and honestly? It had actually been pretty great. It would probably be even better when it was Dongho- _oh shit_. Now Minhyun was imagining things too. Why were they imagining, when they could just get on with it? Maybe, Minhyun was coming to realise, drawing things out a little was part of the fun. “You’ve not tried? You were never curious?”

“Too nervous.” Dongho’s words were hushed, like he was struggling for the breath to even say them. “Thought about it sometimes, though. About...the other way, you know.”

“Oh yeah, I know.” He’d thought about it a couple of times, though never in much detail before. That was definitely going to change. “Maybe it’s for the best that we’re doing this...the way we are. For now.”

“Maybe another time.” Minhyun’s breath hitched, and he wasn’t sure if the words went to his heart or somewhere else first. Maybe a funny mixture of both, like a lot of things Dongho said and did. Before Dongho could even ask what Minhyun would prefer, Minhyun had already pushed his own supplies off the bed and onto the floor. “Okay,” he chuckled, kissing Minhyun’s forehead lightly, “okay. Where were we?”

Dongho seemed to like starting things on a kiss and figuring out where to go from there, and Minhyun certainly wasn’t complaining. He kissed Minhyun slow and deep, slipping his tongue against Minhyun’s as the temperature in the room gradually rose, the embers burning inside Minhyun stoked with every touch, every kiss, every gasp and breath. Minhyun didn’t really want to let go.

Perhaps Dongho knew that. Perhaps he didn’t want to either. Which might have been why he chose then to roll his hips into Minhyun’s, giving neither of them a choice but to break apart. _Fuck_. Minhyun tipped his head back with a low moan, and Dongho wasted no time in leaving a trail of kisses down his neck.

Further.

Down his chest.

Further still.

But not before taking a brief detour, a quick kiss to Minhyun’s nipple, teasing a little bit with his tongue in a way that made Minhyun aware of two things. Firstly, that Dongho had definitely read the same online advice as him. Second, that he was _very_ glad Seongwoo wasn’t home because fuck if he was able to keep quiet when Dongho was doing stuff like this. Minhyun’s thoughts were swimming already and he was absolutely _drowning_ in pure want.

Back on task, and further still.

Minhyun wasn’t sure where Dongho got the idea to lightly, painfully lightly trace around Minhyun’s navel with his tongue, but the imagery was excruciating, and got to Minhyun in ways he’d never imagined. Dongho glanced up, then, meeting Minhyun’s gaze as he dipped his tongue in quickly and _oh_ Minhyun was living, unable to stop his hips from bucking against Dongho’s chest.

_“Dongho,”_ he barely recognised his own voice, strained and a little desperate.

Further still.

Dongho had settled between Minhyun’s legs, encouraging him to part them with a gentle nudge. Rather than make any move to remove Minhyun’s last remaining clothing, though, his attention was elsewhere. Soft kisses, torturously close but still oh so far, across the very tops of Minhyun’s inner thighs. As Dongho grew more confident, more daring, kissing more firmly and nipping at the skin in a way that would _definitely_ leave marks later, Minhyun could only cover his face with his hands.

“Dongho,” he tried again, pitchy and breathless, “why are you-”

“You’re beautiful,” there it was again, so warm and so earnest Minhyun could die. Dongho’s touch was light - equal parts teasing and caring, like he was taking the time to savour every moment but also every opportunity to drive Minhyun up the wall. He toyed with the hem of Minhyun’s boxers, planting another kiss on his thigh. “Also uh, I really don’t want to finish first.”

The sound that left Minhyun after that was some mangled amalgamation of a laugh, a moan and something resembling _Dongho_ as the other boy pressed a single, light kiss to the front of Minhyun’s boxers before yanking them off.

As if able to hear the _yours too_ that Minhyun tried and failed to say for himself, Dongho threw both pairs of underwear to one side. Minhyun couldn’t help but watch him, fascinated. This was _it_. Nothing between them now. Nothing in the way. Something which Minhyun was sure he’d appreciate even more if Dongho would come up and kiss him again already.

Dongho, however, seemed to have other plans. Back where he was beforehand, nudging Minhyun’s thighs a little further apart, giving Minhyun barely enough time to register him saying ‘may I?’ before taking Minhyun into his mouth.

Oh God. Oh fuck. Minhyun wasn’t sure what he was saying anymore, but it was probably something along those lines. Dongho was so hesitant, so careful, and if Minhyun had been in his right mind it might have been more obvious that Dongho was inexperienced. But so was Minhyun and he was also completely, utterly overwhelmed right now. All he could do was clutch at the sheets, hips kept in place by Dongho’s firm, but gentle hold.

Dongho took his time to experiment. To figure out just where to kiss, just how to work his tongue to get Minhyun whining his name, whining _please_ as raw pleasure shot through his every nerve. Forget Dongho’s worries about finishing first - Minhyun was in danger of finishing _soon_ if they didn’t get on with things.

(Another thing, Minhyun thought, they needed to dedicate more time to later, when they didn’t already have plans. His mouth went dry at the thought of returning the favour.)

Taking the little bottle that still sat beside him on the bed, Minhyun tossed it in Dongho’s direction. It was agonising, losing the warmth of Dongho’s mouth around him, but he didn’t have time to indulge in it any further. Not today. “Dongho I-” Wow. He already sounded like a complete mess and they were nowhere near done. “I want-”

“Gotcha,” Dongho smiled at him so gently, so sweetly that Minhyun almost forgot how bizarre and utterly _lewd_ their current situation was. With a last little kiss to the inside of Minhyun’s thigh, Dongho sat up, and the two of them navigated just how to.. _.arrange_ Minhyun properly for what came next.

He felt so exposed, but with Dongho, it was okay, somehow. It helped that Dongho was watching his face, mostly, with only the occasional glance over the rest of his body. It was kind of like he was admiring his handiwork, and the thought made Minhyun almost choke on air. Dongho kept wetting his lips, and Minhyun _so_ wanted to kiss him, but they’d just managed to get him comfortable, so he was just going to have to wait.

“Go slow,” Minhyun whispered, sensing Dongho’s nervousness as he clicked open the bottle Minhyun had handed to him. “We’ve got all night. I’ll guide you.”

“Okay. How much should I…?”

“Oh, use a lot.” He couldn’t help a naughty little smirk. “That’s how I like it.”

_“Shit.”_ Minhyun was giggling. He couldn’t stop. It was just so _ridiculous_ that he couldn’t help himself, and Dongho - flushed as he was - was grinning right there with him. Still, Minhyun had to relax now. He reached out for Dongho’s other hand, giving it a light squeeze. _I’m ready_ , he wanted to say, but he knew it wasn’t just about him being ready. Dongho needed a moment to collect himself, too.

Minhyun had only tried this on himself a couple of times, but it was _definitely_ different when Dongho did it. One finger at first - careful, gentle, like Minhyun would break. Dongho kept his eyes firmly trained on Minhyun’s face, as if gauging his reaction since he couldn’t feel it for himself. It was almost nothing, in the grand scheme of things, but it was kind of amazing anyway.

Probably, Minhyun had to admit, because it was Dongho.

He’d been generous, just as Minhyun had said, making it easy to slip in a second finger when both he and Minhyun figured the time was right. He was exploratory, responsive - listening well to Minhyun’s breathless mantra of praise and nonsense. _A little more_ . _That’s it. So good._ Minhyun groaned as Dongho curled his fingers _just_ so, a dull, aching pleasure spreading through him in waves with Dongho’s ministrations.

Another _click_ of the bottle, and Dongho slowly eased in a third finger. This, for Minhyun, was new territory, and Dongho seemed to pick up on it as Minhyun began to tense.

“It’s okay,” he squeezed Minhyun’s hand, and Minhyun focused on the contact between them, like their palms were kissing. “Slow.”

Minhyun was feeling everything at once.

_Yes. Yes just like that._

_A little more._

_Faster._

He was panting, holding on tightly to Dongho with one hand while covering his face with the other. It would be so, so easy to lose himself completely, and part of Minhyun wondered if Dongho would even mind. From the way he watched Minhyun, utterly transfixed, he probably wouldn’t. But he couldn’t. Not now.

(Even more to save for another day.)

There were a few ways Minhyun could have phrased it. There were the cruder options. There were vaguer ways, like _we need to get on with it_ or _can we…?_

Minhyun didn’t choose any of those, because he was feeling everything and thinking nothing and ended up coming out with “I need you.”

Dongho’s motions slowed, but didn’t quite stop. Like he was waiting for Minhyun to confirm that yes, he was definitely ready before moving on. Unable to find any more words other than just repeating _I need you Dongho_ uselessly like he really kind of wanted to, Minhyun instead took a handful of tissues from the box on the bedside table and a foil packet from the other, smaller box Dongho had brought with him, and held them out wordlessly.

“Thanks,” even now, Dongho was so genuine. It was the same kind of casual ‘thanks’ Dongho would give him when Minhyun lent him a pencil, or bought him a drink. Dongho’s smile had always made Minhyun feel things, but it would never be quite the same again after this.

He removed his fingers carefully, and Minhyun couldn’t help a pathetic, needy little noise at the sudden absence.

“Do you...do you need to…?” He hated this. Not having the words for what he wanted to say. He’d barely gotten to touch Dongho since he’d been flipped onto his back - Dongho’s intention, apparently - and felt a little bad about it.

But Dongho was still smiling, even wider as he wiped off his hand and opened the little packet. “Nah. Just...just watching you was enough.”

Oh _fuck_.

“Kiss me,” he whined, and Dongho paused. “Kiss me right the fuck now. _Please_.”

“You don’t need to ask twice.”

It felt like it had been a million years since the last time Minhyun got to feel Dongho’s lips on his. Slow, steady, just like earlier. Grounding Minhyun in the moment and confirming what he already knew.

He’d never want to do this with anyone else.

With the empty foil, along with the rest of the box of condoms, shoved onto Minhyun’s bedroom floor (the bottle joining them shortly after) Minhyun did his best to relax. It was kind of hard to, considering Dongho was looking him right in the eyes like he was the only person in the world.

To be fair, Dongho was the only person on Earth that mattered to Minhyun in that moment. Perhaps the feeling was mutual.

“Ready?” _For this? For things to change?_

“Be slow.” _As long as you’re with me._

It was unlike anything Minhyun had ever experienced up until that point. Unlike anything he’d imagined. He didn’t really know how to say it, or say anything, or even catch his breath - all he could do was hold Dongho tightly, wrapping his legs around the other boy’s waist and squeezing his eyes shut.

He thought he was feeling everything before, but now he was truly, honestly feeling _everything_. It was kind of overwhelming.

All Minhyun could do was kiss Dongho. Again and again and again.

It was too much. It wasn’t enough.

He kissed Dongho over and over, like he’d die if he stopped.

Muffled _mmm_ s turned into _move_ , _more_ , and just to twist that tightening sensation in Minhyun’s chest, _Minhyun_. Anything else was swallowed up by kisses, by choked gasps and shaky, uneven breaths.

At this point, Minhyun wouldn’t have cared even if he did have any neighbours. The whole universe ended in his little room, on his single-occupancy bed, and it was just him and Dongho and nothing else mattered.

Dongho pressed his lips to Minhyun’s neck, this time clearly intent on leaving a mark, and it sent a feeling of dejavu through him - how they’d started all of this. It didn’t even feel like the same day anymore.

It kind of felt like things had always been this way.

Like it was how they should be.

Minhyun was about ready to explode. From the desperate need coiling in his lower abdomen to the tension building in his chest to what felt kind of like a weird urge to cry, he couldn’t hold on much longer. Not to himself. All he could hold on to now was Dongho, and let everything else go.

And he did.

Clinging tightly to Dongho, Minhyun gave in. Pleasure rushed through every last inch of Minhyun’s body, washing over him like a wave and he was drowning. Drowning in the need to hold on to Dongho and kiss him like his life depended on it.

_Dongho_. Minhyun wasn’t sure if that was even what he’d wanted to say, but it was the only word he seemed to remember anymore. He slipped his hands into Dongho’s hair and kissed him soundly, doing his best to move with him even though his body had practically turned to jelly.

Minhyun’s whole world was ablaze, and that was okay.

Minhyun’s whole world was Dongho.

Dongho didn’t take long to catch up, as least as far as Minhyun was aware. He’d lost all sense of time passing at this point - it could have been minutes, but it could have been forever. Dongho struggled to hold himself up, then, arms shaking as he braced himself above Minhyun on the mattress. But he was whispering Minhyun’s name over and over against his lips and everything was perfect. Dongho was perfect.

In the low light of Minhyun’s dorm room, the two of them held each other close, breathless.

Perfect.

  


Eventually, of course, they had to move. Cleaning themselves, and each other, up with another pile of tissues and disposing of the trash, Minhyun found himself suddenly feeling very cold. With even an inch separating him from Dongho, it suddenly felt too far. Too lonely.

He reached out a hand to Dongho, who seemed to be contemplating the piles of clothing on the floor. “You don’t need those,” he began, voice cracking a little bit. It was the first time he’d really tried to speak properly in a while. “Stay.”

And Dongho stayed. With Minhyun’s bed _mostly_ made, he joined him under the blankets and in an instant, any tension lingering in the air was gone.

Minhyun wrapped his arms around Dongho with a sigh, resting his head on his chest. More than anything in the world, he wanted...more of this. Warmth. Comfort.

...something else.

“Was it, uh…?” Dongho trailed off, but Minhyun heard it, anyway, unable to stop a smile playing on his lips. _Was it good for you?_ Cute.

“Fucking amazing.” The filter hadn’t come back yet. Minhyun wondered if it ever would. Dongho just laughed.

“Good to know it was the same for you.” Minhyun could feel Dongho’s heartbeat speed up, then, and not a moment later, he linked his fingers with Minhyun’s with a hint of hesitation. Now, Minhyun figured, wasn’t exactly the time to be shy.

But Dongho was cute like that.

Before Minhyun could say anything, Dongho went on. “So, uh...I guess we can both graduate without any regrets now, huh?”

No regrets.

Minhyun wanted to say yes, but something was nagging at him, gnawing on the inside.

He had something else he needed to do, first.

Minhyun leaned up, then, to look Dongho in the eye before his gaze slipped down to the other boy’s lips. It was kind of amazing, how they seemed to lean in at the same time - it wasn’t Minhyun kissing Dongho, or Dongho kissing Minhyun, it was just...a kiss. It was just right.

“Dongho,” he mumbled against Dongho’s lips, making no move to pull away. “I want you to be here when I wake up.” Dongho opened his mouth to reply, but Minhyun shushed him with another kiss. “I don’t just mean tomorrow. I mean like...all the time, you know.”

Dongho’s mouth made a little _o_ against Minhyun’s, before breaking out into a brilliant smile. Was it Dongho’s heartbeat racing this time, or Minhyun’s own? He couldn’t be sure. He could only be sure of the way Dongho kept their hands laced together, stroking his thumb over Minhyun’s fingers.

“If you’ll be here for me…?”

“Obviously.”

Maybe it had been obvious the whole time. Maybe it had been obvious since they first suggested it. Maybe it had been obvious since that stupid party in their first year, where the music was shitty, the people were annoying, and they spent the whole time in the backyard together, watching bugs.

Minhyun fell asleep in Dongho’s arms that night. The first of many, many such nights.

He’d definitely achieved everything he wanted to in college.

**Author's Note:**

> time to go set myself on fire i guess
> 
> did you know? on the day of posting this it’s almost the one year anniversary of couchfic. I was going to wait until the big day, but figured I should post this now before I start having second thoughts, so...happy early couchfic-versary and also?? christmas??
> 
> speaking of couchfic, while this isn’t in the same AU as that and showerfic are, it’s kind of a spiritual successor to them both? a trilogy in the loosest sense ^^;
> 
> I hope you enjoyed, Baekminists! ♥


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